The Portland daily press., 1887-06-01

| ANCfAfal VI aultLlCdu OUUllnCkCC, 1IuiAIAPdA
Debt in the United States. Under the head
of diplomatic correspondence are given some
of the most important letters which passed
between him and foreign governments while
he was Secretary Of State; while in the Po-
litical Discussions are included Mr.. Blaine's
letter accepting the Republican nomination
for the Presidency, his speeches during the
Presidential campaign, and his magnificent
address in memory of Gen. Garfield. Hart
ford Bill Publishing Company)
One gets so weary Of following the mental
gymnastics of even the most popular Of the
young novelsts Of the day, that the casual
critic is not likely to do them justice. Even
the spurts Of wit, the occasional clever cores
cations, the sometimes dramatic effects, the
once-in-a-while very good things that
adorn their pages are aggravations, because
one cannot wholly condemn. In the light Of
the latent senstiyeness which has recently
developed into weeping and wailing over the
cruelty ofIthe critics one scarcely dares ex-
press an opinion; but if we may be pardoned
for saying it the foregoing remarks apply to
the The DEVILS Hat, by Melville Phillips.
The author faeetiously calls 1t A Sketch in
OIL but If the pigments had been diluted
with water we should not perhaps have
known the difference. The story has consid-
erable merit and the faults are those Of "a
prentice hand" If we were more sympathet-
ic and self sacrificing we should say to all
these youthful aspirants in the field of fic-
: tion "Try again and you will do better next
time" But honesty and fatigue compel us
to cry 'Don't." Boston: Ticknor & Co.
Portland: Loring. Short & Harmony
MIR. Rider Haggard's stories have reached
pitch-of popularity that no criticism can
reduce, even if it were desirable to attempt
it, They are mostly Of what might be called
the ROman-Candle. or the Roeket-and-stick
literature, and yet She is sufficiently unique
to be ranked among the curiosities of litera-
ture. lis intensely imaginative and has a
distinct fascination. The same cannot be
said Of Dawn. This is one of the authors
earlier works, which seems to have been
polled in with the idea that it will be swal-
lowed without winking by Mr. Haggard's
devoted admirers, who still have in their
mouths the taste Of what has gone before,
and that the difference.in flavor will not be
perceived. This is, perhaps, pardonable
way of disposing of literary goods, butneyCr-
theless it Injuries the reputation of a writer.
New York: Harper & Brothers ;.Portland:
Loring, Short & Harmony
Shapleigh? and called A Correspondence in
Two Entanglements, is edited by Mr. Justin
Windsor. This is its
Dedication.
Unto Katherine Conan
Truer knight is no man
Than he 0f daring act
Who thus upon her table
Would lay this thing Of Fable
Or, maybe, thing of Factl
The publishers say of the little volume,
1T Is published anonymously, but the author
is thorough Shakespeare scholar, whose
name would command general respect if it
were given" And now we leave the matter
to the curious that they may solve this mys-
terry, while they ''read, mark and inwardly
digest it" podnering, meanwhile. upon the
question is it Fact or Fable? Boston:
Houghton, Mif1in & Coz; Portland: Lor-
ing, Short & Harmony
Yachts, Boats and Canoes by c. Stanfeld
Hicks, New York: Forest & Stream Pub
fishing Company will prove an exceedingly
interesting work for amateur yachtsmen.
Though not a scientific treatise on yacht and
naval architecture, it contains great many
practical directions in regard to the con.
struction and management of sail boats so
phrased that the amateur can take adyan-
tage of them. Model yachting and the prin-
ciples that govern it are treated of at some
length, and are lines given Of typical boats
The work contains numerous illustrations
and diagrams, and cannot but prove very
helpful to those interested in the exciting
and healtIful sport of yachting.
Memories of the Men Who Saved the 'Un-
ion is a series of sketches of some of the fa-
nous men of the rebellion period by Don
Piatt. New York and Chicago: Belford
Clarke q Coz The men treated Of are Abra-
ham Lincoln, Edwin NJ. Stanton, Salmon p.
Chase, William II. Seward. Major General
George II. Thomas. Gen. George III. Thomas
is Mr.. Piatt's especial hero and while the
country will begrudge none of the encomi-
um paid to him it will take very serious is
sue with some Of Mr.. Piatt's reflections on
some of the other great generals Of the war
| especially Gen. Grant, whom MIR. Piatt treats
in his preface with gross.injustice and with
brutality ever.
| Vols. III. and ~. of Messrs Houghton &
Mifflin's most satisfactory Riverside Edition
| of Browning's works contain The Ring and
the Book, which occupies whole volume,
the other including Christmas Eve and
Easter Day, Men and Women, In Balcony,
Dramatis Persona, Balanstion's Adventures
Prince Hohensteil-Schwanga and Fifine
at the Fair. Its convenient fern, attractive
appearance and thoroughly good workman
ship has made this edition an extremely pop
ular one, and no book lover can afford to dc
without the works of the most profound poet
of our day. portland; Loring, Short &
| HARMONY.
The bound volume of the Century Maga-
zine from Nov. 1886 to April 1887 contains all
the articles published in the monthly maga-
zine between these dates indexed so that
they can be easily referred to. A good part
Of the articles published in this magazine
possess something more than q temporar,
interest, and in these bound volumes of thu
Century they are preserved iu a very con
venient and attractive form.
AS Common Mortals was published anony
mously some months ago, and met with Sc
cordial reception that new andlcheap pa
per edition has been issued, which is in con
venient form for summer reading. The nov
ell was reviewed in these columns at its frs
appearance. (New York: Cassell & Co.
Portlan: Loring, Short & Harmony
GENERAL NEWS.